Deliver Us From Evil

Rating: 3/10

Directed by Scott Derrickson

Starring:

Eric Bana as Sarchie

Edgar Ramirez as Mendoza

Olivia Munn as Jen

Deliver Us From Evil is the near painful offering from director Scott Derrickson, director of the far superior Sinister. This movie reminded me so heavily of The Exorcism of Emily Rose, I wasn’t surprised at all to find that Derrickson directed and co-wrote that as well. Emily Rose, for all its flaws, was still far better than this, which is apparently “based on a true story” but we remain skeptical how much of it is true.

In New York, a cop Ralph Sarchie investigates a bunch of crimes which turn out to be related to one another. Sarchie’s a tough guy, who believes in the power of physical force. He has a wife and a child, who he never has enough time for. After learning that these crimes are supernaturally related, he seeks the help of a priest, Mendoza, who aids him in purging the demons while also spiritually guiding him. If this film doesn’t sound boring yet, believe me it will.

I want to talk about the characters since this is a film which focuses on one man’s struggle to keep his family safe and to find the truth with the aid of those around him. But there’s nothing to say. These characters are bare caricatures of their tropes; the pained noble cop with a heart of gold, the wise cracking cop sidekick, the infinitely wise fortune-cookie-saying priest, and the nagging wife who just wants to spend time with her husband. The exploration of their stories is by the numbers as is their existence.

Derrickson wants Deliver Us From Evil to be some treatise on the essence of spiritualism yet it turns into pseudo religious self-important ramblings about the power of good versus evil. It goes from bland to vile in moments and that’s what fails it. Derrickson doesn’t want to show evil things being done for some profound moral lesson or artistic expression. He focuses on abhorrent things with near deranged fetishism, for shock value. It becomes deeply unpleasant in no time.

The inspirations for the film are clear; The Exorcist, Seven and even non-horror films like Training Day. The color palette is bland and dull (unlike the movies that inspired it) and it’s hard to watch. Not merely for its visual repugnance or conceit but also because it’s two hours long.

There’s no mystery in this film, no real tension because you don’t really care about these characters. Most of the scares are jump scares (and false scares at that) The real scares are badly directed, garishly excessive and tacky, other times laughable with over-the-top sound design. Most plot lines are borderline irrelevant such as the mere existence of one character, Jane, while others are completely irrelevant, like Jen’s pregnancy.

Is there anything good? One scene in which a pained Sarchie describes his week to Jen when she berates him for yelling. He tragically tells her about the body of an infant he found, a domestic abuser and a baby thrown in a ravine. It’s a scene I wish was further expanded on and used to explore the dynamics of the family. Unlike Sarchie though, director Derrickson takes great pleasure in displaying dead bodies of children, women, animals, whatever it takes to make the audience uncomfortable. It’s just tacky, at the end of the day. Even the actors seem like they want to be in it as little as the audience wants to watch it.

So while Deliver Us From Evil could have been mediocre, it becomes a severely unpleasant two hour roller coaster that’s not enjoyable and might make you throw up.

If, for whatever reason you like this movie, or want to watch a better one, check out The Devil’s Candy, a far better and artistic little thriller about a father haunted by a supernatural presence in his new home.

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